Wednesday, August 31, 2011

So I'm back on the book wagon. Have you read Room? It's freaky and it kept me up all last night which sucks when you still have a baby that gets up to eat. I tend to read when I get into bed and I end up reading 2 pages max and then pass out. Last night I read for an hour and a half and I still wasn't done but it was midnight and thought I should try to sleep but then I couldn't because I kept thinking of the book. Man. If you haven't read it, pick it up.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

During our week at the cottage, we took a few little side trips to small towns for lunch and a little window shopping. Our cottage was really close to Gananoque (pronounced GAN-AN-AWK-WAY - some people think it's French and don't pronounce the que) so we took a trip in town for some groceries and lunch.

We discovered a really funky place called the Pig Iron Barbecue. It had a coffee shop attached called the Socialist Pig Coffeehouse. I think they like pork. Actually I know they like pork because one of the main items on the menu is a pulled pork sandwich. Mmm pulled pork.

Side story: I once stopped eating pork for four years because I felt bad for the pig in the movie Babe. I fell in love with pigs after that and everyone gave me pig things for my birthday and Christmas. After four years of being pig-free, I couldn't live without bacon anymore so I fell off the pig wagon. Poor Babe.

But I digress.

We checked out this Pig Iron place and it was so cute.

We had lemonade and a delicious lunch

While Leo ate his hand off...

The coolest parts of this place were actually in the coffee shop.

Vintage suitcase tables! Tres cool.

Need a book with your latte? They've got you covered.

So next time you're in Gan, check this place out - there's actually a clothing store attached to these two places, so really, you'd never have to leave this part of town. ;)
Pig Iron/Socialist Pig Coffeehouse21 King St. E.,
Gananoque, ON
K7G 1E8

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Last week I took a break from my summer sewing series to go cottaging in the 1000 Islands. My dad lives along the 1000 Islands Parkway and my mom lives in Prescott, Ontario (about 40 minutes away and where I grew up) so it was the perfect spot to spend our vacation.

When I hear the word cottage, I typically think of a rustic abode where the cooking is done over a fire pit and you have to pee outside in an outhouse. But this place was more like a house: it had a nicer stove that what I have, a big fridge, air conditioning and satellite TV. Oh and a working toilet and shower. The place was completely gutted three years ago and was a beautiful spot to spend the week.

We did a lot of this

and this (I think Leo is trying to decide between wine and beer)

this

and this (although the smaller one there didn't sit still for long that's for sure!)

The little one did a lot of this instead

Mid-week we took a little trip to the beach for a picnic and to test out Leo's new life jacket. I can't say he loved the water but I think it was because he got sand in his eyes!

I made one change of course and that is with the hooks of the mailbag. I wasn't a big fan of the tabbed hangers so I replaced them with some grommets my Mom gave me one year for Christmas. I really like how these turned out.

They're just hanging up from nails right now but I want to get some type of hooks to hang them from so they're a bit more sturdy (great excuse for a trip to Anthro don't you think?).

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

We'll I've completed my first summer sewing series project - a skirt! I followed along with the video from Brett Bara about how to make a skirt. It was super easy and to be honest with you, I made a pair of shorts for Leo about a month ago using the same idea as this skirt (my husband actually thinks they look like a skirt on Leo but I digress...).

Did I mention part of the challenge is to use fabric I have on hand already? So I used some left over camo fabric I used for a tote back in the day to make my skirt.

In total I think this project took me about 45 mins. I'm not thrilled with it only because it's a bit bulky in the waist, but I think that's what you get when you use one elastic for a waistband. I pressed it out a bit and it seems to have helped a bit. Regardless, it will be perfect for slipping on when I'm in a hurry or for bummin' around in as my mother-in-law likes to say.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

This is really a challenge for me to get sewing but Summer Sewing Series has a better ring to it.

So ya I've been talking a about getting back into sewing for a bit now on this blog but I've never really gotten around to it. I've been a bit busy with this kid:

That's not really an excuse though -- he naps almost 4 hours a day so really I have that time to sew! As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been spending that time reading but I'm kind of in a reading lull. The books I want to read from the library are out (and I'm about 752-1025 away from getting the books!) and the books I picked up to read aren't doing much for me. So why not sew?

I needed something simple to start. While I was tidying up my sewing room this weekend, I found this:

It's my One-Yard Wonders book that my mom gave me a while back. It's full of super fun projects using...da da da da - one yard. Go figure. I flipped through the book and marked off the projects I wanted to tackle. Here's the list:

Folding chair pinafore slipcover

Instead of doing this for a folding chair, I'm going to tackle this one for my high chair. I bought some cute oil cloth for a cushion when I was pregnant and still haven't done anything with it so now's the time!

Mailbag pocket duo

I want to make this for my office. Right now everything either goes on the kitchen counter or on my desk so I want to have a fun place to put the mail and bits and bobs that come through the door.

Oven mitt and hot pads

Instead of making new oven mitt and hot pads, I think I'm going to recover the ones I've got - 'cause why not?

Laptop sleeve

I don't really need one of these but I think it will help me get over my fear of making one. I tried to make a mini laptop bag a couple years ago and it just didn't work out so this will be take 2.

Jewelry roll

I have a zillion pairs of earrings from the ever-so-talented Sulu-Design and necklaces from my Stella and Dot party and I don't really have a nice and safe place to put them when I travel. So a jewelry roll is a must on this summer sewing list.

Yoga mat bag

I have a strap for my mat but it came apart and I'm too lazy to put it back together so I typically just wrap the strap around and around and then tie it in a bow. It's time for a nice bag.

I've been trying to wear more dresses and skirts this summer but wearing a dress is hard when you're breast feeding -- I mean you can't pull the entire dress up to feed. That would be awkward. So I have to keep my eyes open for lots of buttons. This little dress looks perfect with the low cut neckline.

Petite diaper tote

I only use conventional wipes when I'm out 'n about (I use cotton cloths at home) and I store them in a boring ol plastic container. I thought it would be nice to make a fun wipes pouch for my outtings...

Flag banner

The little guy turns 1 in November (waaaahhhh :'( ) and I thought it would be neat to make this cut flag banner with his name on it for his birthday party.